MAY 1

COMEDY

1. Hasan Minhaj America could do with more Muslim comics and their under-acknowledged observations, especially if they’re as sharp-witted as Hasan Minhaj. His charming demeanor belies a deceptively acerbic humor, honed during his trenchant appearances on The Daily Show. Minhaj truly rose to the occasion at the 2017 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where he delivered hundreds of punishing left jabs at right-wing politicians. It was a roast for the ages, and if it made the president’s blood pressure rise to dangerous levels, Minhaj deserves a Nobel Prize. His Netflix special Homecoming King proved he could conceive exceptionally moving personal comedy, too. DAVE SEGAL

2. Kondabolu Brothers Live Podcast Taping Of Hari Kondabolu, Sean Nelson wrote: "You could make the case that his asides, self-edits, and ad-libs are as funny as the individual finished bits. Though the finished work is, all in all, a whole other level of funny." Now see him with his brother Ashok as they "get into heated conversations about gentrification" or "discuss the news of the day on a poorly constructed powerpoint." Get to know the brothers in hilarious detail.

MUSIC

3. Alice Glass, Pictureplane Alice Glass’s first solo single, “Without Love” (after several years with Crystal Castles), pings all the right stuff for a post-goth, neo-chill, horror-movie soundtrack: bouncy bass (though it doesn’t bounce quite enough for funk), spiky, chilly synth lines, and the singer sounding like she’s an Auto-Tuned Little Red Riding Hood lost in an artisanal forest full of free-range spruces. Me, if I want misery, all I have to do is stare out the window at the rain and then double-down staring at the dude out there who’s in ecstasy scratching his balls. But if it’s your taste, taste. ANDREW HAMLIN

READINGS & TALKS

4. Sally Kohn with Jessyn Farrell Sally Kohn used to be the progressive lesbian voice on Fox News; now she writes for the Daily Beast and appears on CNN. Her latest book, The Opposite of Hate, attempts to unveil the origins of hate "from implicit bias to racism to genocide," and profiles people who have left hate groups behind.

MAY 1-31

COMMUNITY

6. Red May For the second year, Red May will host a series of discussions about current issues, analyzed through the lens of "political economy, Marxism, feminism, philosophy, and postcolonial theory." For the inaugural edition of the festival last year, Charles Mudede wrote, "Philip Wohlstetter, a local intellectual who has been a part of the Seattle art scene since the early 1980s, when he helped produce one of the first crowd-sourced anythings by means of a computer (a novel called Invisible City), has organized a world-class radical-left festival that will run in the month of May. This thing is big, ambitious, and timely—though Wohlstetter began putting it together long before anyone could believe that Trump would be our next president."

SPORTS & RECREATION

7. Washington Bike Everywhere Month Whether you're a longtime cycler or a relative newbie, Bike Everywhere Month invites you to (you guessed it) ditch all other modes of transportation for your faithful two-wheeler for the entire month of May. To keep you motivated, there will be plenty of celebrations, challenges, and group rides throughout the month, including Bike Everywhere Day on May 18.

MAY 2

MUSIC

8. Angélique Kidjo's Remain In Light The Talking Heads' seminal Remain in Light album was heavily influenced by Fela Kuti and West African Afrobeat as refracted through the post-punk stylings of art-school kids in Providence, Rhode Island. Nearly four decades later, Africa's biggest diva, the Grammy-winning Beninese singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo, is turning the tables on David Byrne's Western gaze by performing Remain in Light with the horn section from contemporary Afrobeat masters Antibalas and a Senegalese drum quartet, Generation Percu. Not that the intention is to spite the original—Byrne joined Kidjo on stage for a "Once in a Lifetime" duet at the show's Carnegie Hall premiere. GREG SCRUGGS

READINGS & TALKS

9. Barbara Ehrenreich: Natural Causes The author of the brilliant Nickel and Dimed and Living with a Wild God returns with an inquiry into the deeper physical and moral ramifications of trying to strive for well-being against the backdrop of capitalism, mortality, and the health industry. SEAN NELSON

10. Chuck Palahniuk: Adjustment Day Here's a perfect gift to give the Fight Club quoter in your life: This ticket includes a copy of the new book, which has some tagged and severed ears on the cover. Chucky will not be reading, only signing.

MAY 2-3

MUSIC

12. Mechanismus Festival Did you know Seattle hosts a vibrant industrial-music scene? If not, don’t blame yourself. Bands like Mixed Messages and Webdriver Torso remain mostly under the radar, as this genre is wont to do. Both acts are, however, playing the four-day Mechanismus Festival. Put on by the city’s preeminent industrial concert promotion organ, it is the first festival of its type in the city, set to occupy the Highline, where Mechanismus produces most of its gloomy synthesizer-and-laptop onslaughts. While the genre hasn’t had a commercial peak in some time, or had the kind of indie-publication-sanctioned revival that many of its adjacent genres have, industrial is thriving thanks to the proliferation of production software and the general drop in equipment costs, meaning the city’s digital musical resistance has more surprises in store than the Metropolis Records sampler you got in Hot Topic a decade ago. JOSEPH SCHAFER

14. Khalid Rapidly rising through the ranks, Khalid and his debut album, American Teen, have received critical acclaim across the board, with raves for his new-school take on R&B, soul, and pop.

15. Kid Koala’s Vinyl Vaudeville Floor Kids Edition with Adira Amram & the Experience and DJ Jester An unsung turntablism hero and UK label Ninja Tune’s first North American signee, this Vancouver-born scratch master pulls the same sample-heavy tricks that made the likes of DJ Shadow famous, but stitches them into more introspective, even ambient numbers. Perhaps Kid Koala’s music is driven by his penchant for drawing: He sketched two graphic novels, Nufonia Must Fall (2003) and Space Cadet (2011), and in 2009 pioneered “Music to Draw To,” live events where he would play music while the audience was encouraged to sit down and draw rather than get up and dance. In January, Toronto imprint Arts & Crafts formalized that sound with Music to Draw To: Satellite, a dreamy album and the Kid’s first in five years. GREG SCRUGGS

16. Mark Lanegan, Mark Pickerel Even without taking into account Mark Lanegan’s legendary voice, it shouldn’t be a stretch to call him one of the foremost poets of our time. He’s certainly prolific, having partnered in his post–Screaming Trees career with such disparate acts as Isobel Campbell (Belle and Sebastian) and Queens of the Stone Age. Yet whether he finds himself in a soft Americana setting or heavy stoner metal, his gravelly, beautiful-like-an-oil-slick voice is one that can take the air out of any room. His latest album, Gargoyle, consists of more of the tortured highway blues he seems to favor and abounds with sickeningly beautiful lines like “Wild thing, see the monkey in the jungle swing, canary in the cavern sing, that the devil lives in anything.” TODD HAMM

17. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, CAAMP Chart-topping North Carolina group Rainbow Kitten Surprise employ a Southern folk inflection in their indie alternative rock more subtle than their name, with neat harmonies and expansive instrumentation standing out as key methods. They'll be joined by CAAMP.

18. Research: Moritz Von Oswald, Strategy, Raica, Kid Hops Germany’s Moritz Von Oswald is one of the master architects of dub techno, an ever-nourishing mutation of the genre’s 4/4 propulsion schematics. With his Basic Channel/Chain Reaction partner Mark Ernestus, MVO helped assimilate dub’s hallucinogenic use of space and Teutonic industrial music’s penchant for odd, metallic timbres into minimal techno’s 4/4 grid. In the process, he seeded the field for hundreds of producers to expand techno’s parameters in transportive ways. His work with Moritz Von Oswald Trio, Detroit icons such as Juan Atkins and Carl Craig, and Norwegian jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer further extrapolates the man’s rhythmic inventiveness in more organic formats. If you want to see how an avant-garde legend has adapted to 21st-century club environments, hit Kremwerk tonight—and get there early for the outstanding supporting acts. DAVE SEGAL

19. Shania Twain When I was a kid making up choreographed dances to "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" I didn't quite grasp what a feminist masterpiece Shania Twain's 1997 album Come On Over really was. Re-listening as an adult to what was one of the first CDs I owned (and the bestselling country album of all fucking time), I was shocked and delighted by the Canadian country singer's sexual politics, especially compared to the "get-in-the-truck, babe" themes that pervade pop-country radio. Twain is full of lady-power anthems, from calling out overgrown dudebro egos in the delightfully bratty "That Don't Impress Me Much" to subverting gender roles in "Honey, I'm Home" to even explaining consent in "If You Wanna Touch Her, Ask!" Part of her farewell tour, this show is one of the last chances to see pop country's own riot grrrl and queen of the world play the hits. She's still the one. ROBIN EDWARDS

PERFORMANCE

20. Alan Cumming: Legal Immigrant The man who almost singlehandedly reinvigorated the musical Cabaret with his extroverted take on the role of the emcee in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival in the 1990s, Alan Cumming went on to host the Tony Awards, design a perfume, make films with Stanley Kubrick, appear in a Jay-Z video, voice a Smurf, and more. He also has his own variety show, which he’s bringing to Seattle for one night only. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

READINGS & TALKS

21. Charles Johnson: Night Hawks The National Book Award-winning writer and local sage Charles Johnson (The Way of the Writer, Taming the Ox) is coming out with a book of short stories—like the title tale, drawn from late-night conversations with August Wilson; "The Weave," about a hair extensions thief; the sci-fi satire "Guinea Pig"; and more.

MAY 3-12

FILM

22. Translations Film Festival Here is something that Seattle should take pride in. We have the world’s largest trans film festival. Not Berlin, not London, not New York City—but Seattle. The festival is called Translations, and this year it features a bunch of films from places that do not have the largest trans film festival. One film that caught my eye immediately is Man Made, which concerns the only transgender men bodybuilding competition in the world. Of course, this subject opens and examines a society that, for the most part, has yet to come to terms with this significant group of its family. CHARLES MUDEDE

MAY 3-JUNE 24

PERFORMANCE

23. Bananas! Feel fresh as a shot of rum at this Grease-inspired, Parisian-style cabaret show celebrating the hot(tish) Seattle weather.

MAY 4

MUSIC

24. Stephen Stills and Judy Collins Judy Collins is a goddess whose singin’, piano-plunkin', and guitar-pickin' career stretches back to the time when folkies like her went pop. Her singer-songwriter pal Steven Stills is an ex-member of Buffalo Springfield, Manassas, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. They finally got together last year and recorded an album of beautiful contemporary takes on period tracks, some of theirs and some written by others, called Stills & Collins. Tonight’s set will likely be full of both artists' loved classics and songs from their new album. And, if you’re so inclined, there is a pre-show meet and greet. MIKE NIPPER

MAY 4-6

FESTIVALS

26. Crypticon 2018 Crypticon will fill the DoubleTree with hundreds of gorehounds, bloodsluts, zombbros, and creepazoids. This year will feature Richard Brake of Game of Thrones, Kimmy Robertson and Harry Goaz of Twin Peaks, and more. Dress up and enter the cosplay contest, compete in the writing and horror makeup competitions, browse haunted Cthulhu/zombie/vampire/etc. goods, and party on the 13th floor.

29. Kendrick Lamar, SZA, ScHoolboy Q, Isaiah Rashad, SiR, Ab-SoulTo Pimp a Butterfly was 2015’s best album, a breathtakingly ambitious funk/jazz concept epic finding Kendrick Lamar at the showy height of his considerable powers, conscripting a who’s-who cast of collaborators for its messy race opera. By contrast, 2017’s follow-up DAMN. was almost alarmingly spare, harrowing, and solitary-feeling, but sniped K. Dot’s usual demons and targets with an even finer motor control. When the very few guests showed up—modest talents Rihanna and U2—they merely served as well-utilized bit players in service to a deceptively linear internal monologue. Here’s a master of the form who’s racked up almost as many indispensable volumes as a Tribe Called Quest—and though he’s always hotly debated, his crown is indisputable. Thank you, Kendrick, for bringing it back West. LARRY MIZELL JR.

31. Free Comic Book Day Free Comic Book Day is exactly what it sounds like—head to local shops to get your geeky/artsy/literary fix (and probably meet some fellow comic enthusiasts). Stores will be giving out the special Free Comic Book Day issues, and some will also have special deals on other comics. Many of these free issues star favorite pop-culture characters—Doctor Who, the Avengers, Transformers, Tank Girl, and Spider-Man—but the day is also a chance to check out lesser-known material, like Strangers in Paradise, Silver, and Fantagraphics' World's Great Cartoonists. Take advantage of deals at Phoenix Games and Comics, Kinokuniya, Grumpy Old Man, Golden Age Collectables, Outsider Comics, Comics Dungeon, and Fantagraphics (where Ellen Forney will make an appearance).

32. Rob Lowe: Stories I Only Tell My Friends LIVE! As the portrait in his attic molders, the eternally handsome and engaging actor (best loved as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing, but eternally remembered from ‘80s films he made before he was good, like The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, and St. Elmo’s Fire) brings the live version of his first memoir to the stage. The book is funny and well-written, and Lowe seems constitutionally incapable of not being charming. Interesting context may arise from the fact that Lowe’s career has survived a truly major sex scandal (a 1988 sex tape three-way at the DNC with partners who were 16 and 22) and a gradual evolution from Democratic party activist towards political conservatism. And yet, he remains both human and engaging. Maybe there’s a lesson there. SEAN NELSON

SPORTS & RECREATION

33. Opening Day On the first Saturday of May for the past 97 years, hundreds of recreational boats have paraded from Portage Bay through the Montlake Cut for Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day to celebrate the official opening of Seattle's boating season. Watch from the shore as adorned vessels boast live bands and giant floats—and watch out for water balloons. The official parade will be preceded by the Windermere Cup crew regatta.

MAY 5-6

ART

34. New Nordic Grand Opening The Nordic Museum has moved out of its quaint Old Ballard digs, a 1907 schoolhouse, and into a modern 57,000-square-foot building on Market Street to continue to expand its mission of education on Nordic and Nordic American art, community, and history. There's been some positive buzz in Architectural Digest and Artnet about the new building and collections—it was designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, "the firm that helped create the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Newseum, and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC." On this May weekend, they'll finally open their doors with much fanfare, including musical and dance performances, along with ticketed admission to the galleries, where work by Fridtjof Nansen, Northern Exposure: Contemporary Nordic Arts Revealed, and Nordic Journeys will be on view. The opening is also part of the monthlong Nordic Seattle event series.

MAY 5-19

PERFORMANCE

35. Aida Seattle Opera's production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida is going to be massive. We're talking more than 150 performers, 200 costumes, innovative sets from graffiti artist RETNA (Marquis Duriel Lewis), complex choreography, and a wild story about an enslaved Ethiopian princess who falls in love with her Egyptian captor, who is himself betrothed to the pharaoh's daughter. This one is shaping up to be the production of the year from Seattle's largest opera house, and it's not to be missed. RICH SMITH

MAY 5-FEB 24

ART

36. Wham! Bam! Pow!: Cartoons, Turbans, and Confronting Hate Vishavjit Singh responds to xenophobia—which he experienced plenty of after September 11, 2001, as a Sikh American lumped in with other South Asians and Middle Easterners—with a superhero series about a Sikh anti-bigot.

MAY 6

EVERYWHERE

37. Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is by no means a localized event—here in town, there are several opportunities to sip mint juleps in your floppiest hat and watch live screenings of the 144-year-old horse race.

39. Eric B. & Rakim, YO-YO My esteemed colleague Charles Mudede reminds me weekly that Eric B. & Rakim's “Follow the Leader” is the greatest hiphop track ever—and he may be right. Nothing in the genre more evocatively captures what it feels like to move through hiphop's birthplace at night with every synapse firing maximal awareness of your overstimulating surroundings. As millions of gray-haired rap fans will tell you, Rakim is the GOAT microphone fiend. His flow, vocab, rhyme schemes, imperial demeanor, and countless brilliant expressions of braggadocio make most other MCs sound like stammering weed carriers. With three classic albums upon which to draw for this surprising comeback tour, Eric B. & Rakim demand your attention, even in 2018. DAVE SEGAL

40. X Ambassadors, SHAED Considering their Top40 radio ubiquity, it's been basically impossible to not recognize the Jeep commercial-ready stadium party rock sound of X Ambassadors. They'll be joined by SHAED on their Joyful Tour.

READINGS & TALKS

41. LeVar Burton Reads Live! Good God, can anything be more comforting than this in our anti-intellectual times? LeVar Burton of the beautiful, long-running kids' show Reading Rainbow will take you back to your bookwormish childhood—well, except that the short story he'll read to you will be more suited to adults. Past selections on Burton's eponymous podcast have included tales by Elmore Leonard, Laura Chow Reeve, and Neil Gaiman, but we don't know what he'll select this time.

THROUGH MAY 6

FESTIVALS

42. Apple Blossom Festival This annual festival, which started in 1919, showcases the beautiful blooms of Wenatchee Valley. It includes a carnival, a golf tournament, a food fair, multiple parades, and more.

PERFORMANCE

43. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Book-It brings Junot Díaz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, to life onstage. Elise Thoron directs the Literature to Life adaptation, during which audiences will follow Oscar de León’s journey as he grapples with adolescent love, a looming family curse, and the meaning of life—or at least his own life. In light of Díaz’s most recent essay for the New Yorker about his own childhood trauma, the heartbreak from this story may reveal even deeper depths. Those with faint hearts, beware—according to the overview, “the show contains mature content including strong language, slurs, and references to suicide.” SOPHIA STEPHENS

MAY 7

MUSIC

44. George Ezra, Noah Kahan Known especially for his hit single "Budapest," George Ezra has returned after a several-year hiatus with his new album, Staying At Tamara's. He'll be joined by Noah Kahan.

45. Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Makeness Multi-instrumental frontman/songwriter Ruban Nielson always sounds like he records Unknown Mortal Orchestra albums in a room with fuzzy shag-carpet walls. The 1970s-vintage film of warm fogginess is likely achieved using pedals, filters, and other effects on their blend of indie-pop and psych-rock, with Nielson’s silky falsetto injecting hints of austere R&B and soul. Sex & Love—the new outing from the Portland-by-way-of-Auckland outfit—maintains a sense of positivity and focus on life’s good things while offering abstract commentary on how fucking strange modern reality has become, from the crunchy, driving rock that is “American Guilt,” (“Land of the expensive / Even the Nazis are crying”), to the mellow, heady grooves of “Ministry of Alienation” (“Amoral but not evil / Sick of fake democracies”). Meanwhile, “Hunnybee” is a love song to his daughter disguised as a loose and yacht-y disco ode (he’s described it as “encoding some sort of fatherly advice for the future version of herself”). LEILANI POLK

READINGS & TALKS

46. Laura Ling: Life Inside a Korean Prison In 2009, Laura Ling was investigating North Korean sex trafficking with her colleague Euna Lee when they were arrested on suspicion of illegally entering North Korea along the Chinese border. The detainment of both journalists ended after five months when President Bill Clinton visited Pyongyang to speak with Kim Jong-il, who ultimately pardoned Ling and Lee. Following her release, Ling cowrote the 2010 memoir Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home with her (arguably more famous) sister, Lisa Ling. The acclaimed journalist shares her story of captivity and rescue during this Unique Lives and Experiences talk, “Life Inside a Korean Prison.” SOPHIA STEPHENS

47. Viet Thanh Nguyen He wrote The Sympathizer, which won last year's Pulitzer Prize in fiction. Nguyen strongly believes we need to hear the story of the American invasion of Vietnam from more Vietnamese people's perspectives, and his work is certainly making headway in that direction. His latest is a book of short stories, The Refugees, about the lives of immigrants coming to America following the war. RICH SMITH

MAY 7 & 9

READINGS & TALKS

48. 2018 Stroum Lectures with Gary ShteyngartIf you enjoy clever page-turners and you have never read Shteyngart's first novel, The Russian Debutante's Handbook, an unbelievably funny specimen of the immigrant novel, get yourself to a bookstore ASAP. He has since published several other hilarious, globe-spanning novels and one hilarious, globe-spanning memoir, Little Failure. He was born in Russia and lived there as a young child, so he ought to have fascinating things to say about our new overlords, and about the role satire plays in authoritarian societies. He'll give two talks: "Failure is an Option: Immigration, Memory, and the Russian Jewish Experience" on May 7, and "I Alone Can Fix It: Tales from the New Dystopia" on May 9. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE

MAY 8

COMEDY

49. Kyle Kinane The comedy world teems with schlubby, self-deprecating, bearded white guys, but Kyle Kinane ranks near the top of the heap of this species. His gruff-voiced, everydude observations are extremely relatable, which could result in eyerolls or yawns in lesser-skilled hands, but Kinane accomplishes the tough trick of turning the loser persona into a winning proposition. He also can cook up some tasty food jokes, e.g., “Phở is a Vietnamese soup that answers the question, 'What would happen if a former child soldier poured hot rainwater over fish nightmares?' ” DAVE SEGAL

MUSIC

50. Editors Big name British mope-rock rehashers Editors are back in the Emerald City for one night only to promote their recently announced album, Violence.

51. Sik-K Kwon Min-Sik, under the handle Sik-K, has risen through the competitive ranks of South Korean rap, partially thanks to his role as a contestant on Show Me The Money 4. He'll play new material on this H1ghr Records tour through the United States.

52. Steven Wilson For most of the 2000s, Steven Wilson led the progressive music revival as the singer-songwriter behind Porcupine Tree. In 2010, Wilson disbanded the outfit that made him an underground phenom and struck out as a solo act that embraced shoegaze, goth, minimalist electronica, and alt-rock. For many fans, though, Wilson’s solo career hasn’t always delivered the goods that PT did. His latest album, To the Bone, however, is the most likable collection of songs he’s released post–Porcupine Tree. By focusing on his pop influences (there’s a lot of Prince love here), Wilson has rediscovered his old talent for delivering challenging lyrics in lovable, hummable packages. It doesn’t sound at all like what he used to do, but that just makes Wilson’s new material all the more exciting. JOSEPH SCHAFER

READINGS & TALKS

53. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Writer and activist Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, who was forced to cancel several book tour appearances last May due to threatening emails, will discuss contemporary black activist movements and explore the history of black politics in America using interviews with the founding members of the Combahee River Collective. (Cancelled)

MAY 9

FOOD & DRINK

54. Planes, Trains, and Traveling Chefs: Marc Forgione Celebrity chef Marc Forgione became the youngest winner of the Food Network's Next Iron Chef in history when he won season three of the show in 2010. He's also received critical acclaim from the New York Times and owns a Michelin-starred restaurant. You can try his celebrated cooking for yourself at this six-course dinner, which he'll create with the Matt's in the Market kitchen based on market-fresh ingredients from Pike Place.

MUSIC

55. Mary Lambert Queer pop artist Mary Lambert, who performed with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on "Same Love," will perform tracks off her latest EP Bold. She's perfected a blend of snark and sincerity, so if you like smart lyrics and sunny hooks, go check her out.

READINGS & TALKS

56. Freeman Dyson with Neal Stephenson and Robbert Dijkgraaf A contemporary of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Richard Feynman, Stephen Hawking, and Hans Bethe, he researched for decades at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and contributed to the field of quantum physics. Now, at 94, Freeman Dyson will look back on his fellow giants of the 20th century and on the worldwide turmoil he's witnessed over his lifetime. (He's also famous for declaring that "climate fanatics" are stirring excessive panic over global warming, but he's not a climate change denier.)

MAY 10

MUSIC

57. Peter Hook & The Light Since his rancorous departure from New Order in 2007, original Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook has toured the band’s material with his own project. The New Order family feud escalated in 2015 when Hook initiated a lawsuit with the band for “millions of pounds” after the remaining members signed a new contract, stipulating Hook could earn only 1.25 percent of the band’s royalties. Whether you’re on Team Hooky or Team New Order (or you don’t care and just want to hear “Love Will Tear Us Apart”), the hits will certainly be delivered tonight, as this tour focuses on material from both bands’ hit/rarity-compiling Substance releases. While the unapologetic post-punk bleakness for which the Joy Division sound is now internationally revered (and copied) will likely be absent from these renditions, look at it this way: There may never be another chance to see these songs performed by an original member. BRITTNIE FULLER

READINGS & TALKS

58. Dr. Jordan Peterson The University of Toronto psychologist and YouTube celebrity lectures on such topics as the "Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories," the "Phenomenology of the Divine," and "Identity Politics and the Marxist Lie of White Privilege." He'll tour in support of his new book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.

MAY 10-12

FILM

59. The Very Best of HUMP! 2008-2017 Depending whether you've attended Dan Savage’s amateur porn festival from its inception or haven't yet experienced the arousal/joy/laughs/vicarious embarrassment/shock/terror of watching explicit, omnisexual short films with a roomful of strangers, this screening (for which filmmakers resubmitted their movies) will resurrect your favorite sexy moments or introduce you to some kinks you've never seen before.

MAY 10-13

PERFORMANCE

60. Jack & We're anticipating that Jack & will use the formulas of sitcoms to criticize the prison system and the lasting damages it inflicts on released inmates. Director Kaneza Schaal and her leading actor, Cornell Alston, will make these clichés "intersect with real and imagined ceremonies for entering society."

MAY 10-20

FOOD & DRINK

61. Seattle Beer Week 10 Seattle’s craft beer scene is always alive and bubbling with activity, but during Beer Week, that geeky enthusiasm gets kicked into high gear, with a stacked lineup of beer dinners, festivals, socials, pub crawls, and releases galore. This year, the festivities will include Cask-O-Rama (16 casks from Seattle breweries on the bar top) at Beveridge Place Pub, beer and doughnut pairings at various locations, a beer-can derby at the Pine Box, a cheddar sandwich competition at Hellbent Brewing, whole pig roasts at Rhein Haus, Naked City, and TeKu Tavern, and way more. JULIANNE BELL

MAY 11

GEEK & GAMING

62. Star Trek Send-Off Party Okay, Trekkies: Here's your chance to immerse yourselves in a night that's as dedicated to Gene Roddenberry’s space universe as you are. This send-off party for Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds will feature actress Chase Masterson, who played Leeta for five years on Star Trek Deep Space 9, in conversation with MoPOP curator Brooks Peck, as well as Star Trek trivia with Geeks Who Drink, music from DJ Sir Juan, a Star Trek gaming cafe, and more.

MUSIC

63. Desert Daze Caravan II Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler loves Ariel Pink’s music, and perhaps you should, too. The LA misfit has shifted from bizarrely blurred hauntologist to slick, streamlined pop technician, while honing his songs' earwormy charm. If early releases like The Doldrums and Worn Copy made listeners wonder if Mr. Pink was pulling an elaborate prank or purveying a postmodern commentary on “outsider” music, his more recent output—Before Today, Mature Themes—establishes him as a quirk-pop auteur who knows exactly what he's doing. Over the last 20 years, Ariel Pink's abundant melodic gifts have zoomed into sharper focus and his production values escalated, resembling how Marc Bolan transformed from Tyrannosaurus Rex to T.Rex. DAVE SEGAL

64. Lisa Loeb Lisa Loeb, a multi-platinum multi-hyphenate known mostly for her glasses, is back to promote her latest album and will go on an extended tour around the country to remind us all what alt-pop in the '90s sounded like.

65. The Longshot, Frankie and The Studs Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has returned to present another project for public opinion called the Longshot, a kinda punky, kinda garagey rock project centered on the broken-hearted. His new band will be joined by Frankie & the Studs.

READINGS & TALKS

66. Ece Temelkuran Politically astute novelist and journalist Ece Temelkuran has published 12 books, only two of which were currently available in English until recently. Her political columns, however, have been reprinted in international newspapers like the Guardian. She's recognized for her intellectual courage, which got her fired from her job as a TV presenter—she received the Ayşe Zarakolu Freedom of Thought Award from the Human Rights Association of Turkey. She'll come to Seattle to read from the newly translated The Mute Swans, a novel set during Turkey's military coup in 1980.

67. Hugo Literary Series: Lidia Yuknavitch, Tarfia Faizullah, Ijeoma Oluo, and Nick Droz Lidia Yuknavitch, author of The Misfit's Manifesto and the scary Book of Joan, will be joined by Bangladeshi American poet Tarfia Faizullah and Establishment editor (and former Stranger contributor) Ijeoma Oluo to present new work on the theme "There Goes the Neighborhood." Singer-songwriter Nick Droz, a collaborator with Bushwick Book Club, will provide the music.

MAY 11-12

FESTIVALS

68. The Rendezvous Festival Breathe some fresh air in a scenic North Cascade valley and enjoy hiking, horseback riding, climbing, water sports, and more—when you're not at a rock or folk concert by the likes of Joshua James, RVIVR, the Lowest Pair, the Pine Hearts, and many other bands.

MAY 11-13

MUSIC

69. Harry Partch Festival Harry Partch was a composer who invented his own microtonal systems and created his own massive, whimsical instruments like the Chromelodeon, Harmonic Canon, and Spoils of War. This weekend, Charles Corey and the Harry Partch ensemble will honor the musical innovator with performances of his compositions on these hand-hewn instruments, as well as modern classics by Satie, Berio, Cage, Ives, and Pärt, among others.

MAY 12

71. Annual Seattle Pierogi Fest To know pierogi, the absurdly comforting and starchy Polish dumplings, is to love them. This wildly popular yearly event from the Polish Cultural Center offers an opportunity to shovel the petite pockets of dough into your face by the plateful, with fillings like potato and cheese, meat, sauerkraut and mushrooms, blueberries, and more, at a modest sum ($10 nets you 10 dumplings). Plus, check out workshops, performances, costumes, pottery, cutout art, beer gardens, homemade desserts, and other entertainment. JULIANNE BELL

72. Reviving the Rustic Don’t call it a comeback: The ancient Korean libation makgeolli, which translates loosely as "roughly strained" and is known as the "drink of peasants," has been here for more than a thousand years, since the Goguryeo Dynasty. However, it’s currently enjoying a resurgence due to its high probiotic content, compatibility with food, and popularity with Korean celebrities and rappers (who’ve affectionately rebranded it as “mack gully”). It’s also nearly impossible to find fresh in the United States—Pioneer Square’s Girin Korean Ssam Bar is one of the only places in the country making it. Brewer Cody Burns experimented with recipes for six months and fought through a two-year-long process of working with the government to classify and permit the brewing process. You can revel in his triumph at this event hosted by Atlas Obscura, where he'll guide an informal tasting alongside light appetizers and give a talk on the love for the liquor worldwide. JULIANNE BELL

73. Sabroso Craft Beer, Taco & Music Festival Heartburn be damned, Sabroso will gather thousands of people in Auburn for a day of craft beer tasting, tacos aplenty, Gringo Bandito hot sauce samples, lucha libre wrestling, and live music by the Offspring, Pennywise, and guests.

74. UW Night Market: Taiwan Yes! Taiwan is known for its colorful night markets, where scores of vendors and shops gather to hawk food and other wares. At this UW event, more than 20 Taiwanese and other Asian food vendors will assemble in one convenient place. Highlights include the rave-worthy hand-pulled biang biang noodles and dumplings from Qin Xi'an Noodle, “puffle cones” (wacky inflated waffle cones filled with ice cream and fruit) from Puffle Up, pork belly- and vegetable-stuffed steamed buns from It's Bao Time, taiyaki (fish-shaped waffles) from BeanFish, and more. JULIANNE BELL

76. Terrible, Thanks for Asking This podcast offers a dose of un-everyday frankness: Guests answer the question "How are you?" with honest reports of their well-being. Host Nora McInerny, author of It's Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool, Too) and founder of the Hot Young Widows Club, will conduct a live recording.

81. Joey Bada$$, Boogie, Buddy My first instinct is to talk down on Badass (sorry, if you’re not Mason Betha, I’m not spelling your shit with dollar signs)—just because he is an enemy of Based World. His cultural “L” at the hands of Lil B notwithstanding, Joey’s single, “Big Dusty,” has him sounding like the child of the Outsidaz’ Young Zee and one of the OGC (the Boot Camp Clik’s Originoo Gunn Clappaz, fool), which couldn’t be better reference points for the grimy, underrated ’90s East Coast rap that he seeks to revive. LA rappers (plus those in ATL) are once again far more dominant on the national landscape than their peers in Gotham—let’s hope the unfortunate coast-baiting that was in vogue the first time these styles were out won’t see a similar revival (same goes for Rudolph Giuliani). LARRY MIZELL JR.

82. Miyavi Unconventional Japanese guitarist Miyavi, widely presented as an artist who represents a new wave of Asian music, will showcase his "slap style" on the North American leg of this world tour.

83. P!NK Powerful vocalist and pop superstar P!NK is back on the road with her Beautiful Trauma World Tour, named after her latest super popular album.

SPORTS & RECREATION

84. The Color Run The "happiest 5K on the planet” is an annual paint race that take place in over 25 countries.

THROUGH MAY 13

PERFORMANCE

85. The Wolves Ben Brantley at the New York Times says Sarah DeLappe's debut play, The Wolves, is like a Robert Altman movie about a suburban girls' indoor soccer team except in play form, and that's all I really need to hear to buy a ticket. In case you need more: Freehold Theater Lab's Christine Marie Brown will play the role of a soccer mom charged with wrangling up the likes of nine up-and-coming actors. Those include Meme García, an excellent character actor and theater artist who's recently returned to the Pacific Northwest after polishing up her classical chops at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and Rachel Guyer-Mafune, whose pluck and charm brightened Book-It's production of Howl's Moving Castle and WET's Teh Internet Is Serious Business. Sheila Daniels directs. RICH SMITH

MAY 13-15

READINGS & TALKS

86. National Geographic Live — A Rare Look: North Korea to Cuba David Guttenfelder is an AP photographer who, along with his colleagues, helped show the world what North Korea actually looked like for the first time in 2011. His photographs reveal the bleak surrealism of the country's urban spaces and the extreme poverty of its rural areas. According to press materials, Guttenfelder "broke through another wall when he boarded the first cruise ship in decades to travel from the United States to Cuba, and returned to the island to cover Fidel Castro’s four-day funeral procession." The warmth and vibrancy of his Cuban photos contrast sharply with the drab olives and cold tones of NK's fascistic state, though there are a few surprising aesthetic overlaps between the two countries. He'll have more to say about all that at Benaroya, but, in the meantime, you should definitely be following this guy on Instagram. RICH SMITH

MAY 14

MUSIC

87. Washed Out Ernest Greene, the Athens, Georgia, producer/singer known as Washed Out, has been able to retain his spot atop Chill Mountain through the retention of the flip-flop disco aesthetic and his self-abasing sense of humor. Last summer’s Mister Mellow, an album whose cover image includes a stoned-looking Big Bird wearing a trucker cap with “CHILLWAVE” written across the front, is laced with so many low-pitch audio snippets of burnouts giving stress-relief advice, it borders on concept album. But if he’s hitting us over the head with pastiche, it’s only for effect; Greene is an intelligent producer whose talent has become the blending of emotive backing tracks with parodic contextualization of those tracks. It’s the kind of endlessly pleasing RDM (relaxed dance music) we’ve come to expect, bundled with the self-aware sarcasm we deserve. TODD HAMM

MAY 15

READINGS & TALKS

88. Ariel LevyNew Yorker staff writer Ariel Levy is perhaps best known for her profiles of celebrities, but in The Rules Do Not Apply, Levy turns the microscope on herself, writing about giving birth alone in a Mongolian hotel to a baby that survived only a few minutes. The book is an expansion of a 2013 New Yorker essay about that experience. But here, Levy goes deeper, into romance, ambition, travel, alcoholism, and, especially, her marriage, which ultimately did not survive the trauma of their child’s premature birth and death. This work is Levy grappling with the realization that her life will not be what she thought it was going to be, and she’ll be discussing her memoir, and her life, tonight. KATIE HERZOG

89. Claudia Rankine It's hard to overstate the impact of Claudia Rankine's work on American poetry over the course of the last seven years or so. In 2011, she confronted fellow poet Tony Hoagland for writing a poem that contained racist sentiments, claiming that it was "for white people." That poem was called "The Change," and in many ways, their exchange reinvigorated—or at least brought national attention to—a conversation about race, poetry, and the lack of diversity in the literary world, a conversation that thankfully continues apace today. Citizen: An American Lyric, a collage of images and poems about microaggressions and the limitations of language and the experiences of people of color living in a white-supremacist culture, was published in 2014 and won the National Book Critics Circle Award in poetry. Since the book's release, the first thought that enters my head when I hear news of a police officer gunning down another (and another, and another) unarmed black man comes from this book. She writes: "Because white men can't police their imagination, black men are dying." RICH SMITH

90. David Shields and Rikki Ducornet Argumentative intellectual David Shields will appear with painter and writer Rikki Ducornet, who's received boatloads of international awards including the Academy Award in Literature and the prestigious Prix Guerlain in France. Both have contributed to Conjunctions, Bard College’s highly regarded literary journal.

MAY 16

COMEDY

91. Jimmy O. Yang A star of Silicon Valley, the author of How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents, and an actor in the upcoming Crazy Rich Asians, Jimmy O. Yang should have plenty of material about family, culture, language, entertainment, and more.

MUSIC

92. Rufus Wainwright Rufus Wainwright—the belting vocal pop composer and songwriter with baroque and operatic persuasions and finely honed piano chops—has a résumé that includes nine Shakespeare sonnets set to music, originally inspired by a theater piece he scored for Robert Wilson; that release, 2016’s Take All My Loves, has cameos by Helena Bonham Carter, Carrie Fisher, William Shatner, and Florence Welch. Wainwright lands in Seattle on his All These Poses 20th Anniversary Tour, which celebrates his 2001 breakout LP, Poses, featuring his beloved quasi-hit “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” and a cover of Loudon Wainwright III’s “One Man Guy,” with his dad actually sitting in. LEILANI POLK

PERFORMANCE

93. David Blaine Street magician David Blaine, who's submitted his body to such tortures as lengthy imprisonment in a six-ton block of ice and one million volts from seven Tesla coils, will take the Seattle stage for more improbable feats.

MAY 16-19

MUSIC

94. Ballard Jazz Festival 2018 The 16th Annual Ballard Jazz Festival is happening again this year at various locations around the neighborhood, including the Conor Byrne Pub and the newly relocated Nordic Museum. Enjoy live sets from local and national acts like Oskar Stenmark, Thomas Marriott, and Johnaye Kendrick, a jazz walk down Ballard Avenue, and more.

MAY 17

FESTIVALS

95. Syttende Mai Celebration After the Ballard parade where Norwegian marching bands and drill teams will galavant down the street on Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day), head to the new museum to enjoy a Nordic luncheon and extended gallery hours. At night, they'll also have special Nordic cocktails, a fashion show, and live musical performance from a special guest.

FOOD & DRINK

96. The Sip Experience At this event hosted by Sip Northwest Magazine inside a century-old Byzantine-style church, sip tastes from over 40 drink producers, including beer, cider, spirits, and wines, and try food from restaurants like Pintxo, Jack's BBQ, and Beecher's Cheese. Upstairs in the Halo Lounge, Papa Bueno Tequila will shake and stir some cocktails.

MUSIC

97. La Luz, Savila, Ancient Forest The summer release of the Ty Segall-produced Weirdo Shrine, their second full-length on Hardly Art, did the trick in transforming surf-noir quartet La Luz from promising locals to national contenders (singer-guitarist Shana Cleveland’s fine solo debut, Holy Rollers, didn’t hurt). It’s as if the Shangri-Las and the Ventures formed a supergroup with four-part harmonies, sun-warped guitars, and sinuous rhythms, but the lyrics dig deeper than that description suggests, since Charles Burns’s devastating graphic novel Black Hole provided thematic inspiration. If an adaptation of his Seattle-set saga ever makes its way to the big screen, let’s hope La Luz provide the score. KATHY FENNESSY

READINGS & TALKS

98. An Evening of Poetry with Ocean Vuong He's got his haters, but Ocean Vuong is one of the best lyric poets of his generation. He's one of contemporary poetry's most skilled cinematographers, one of its most sophisticated line breakers, and also one of its best readers. He's a quiet but powerful performer of his work, commanding the room with an intense fragility that never feels saccharine or put on. I'm not often moved to tears at readings, but I turned into a fountain when I heard him read from his award-winning book Night Sky with Exit Wounds a few years ago. Read "Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong" in the New Yorker if you want to know what I'm talking about. Here's my favorite line from that poem: "Don’t be afraid, the gunfire / is only the sound of people / trying to live a little longer / and failing." UGH. Show up early and stick around after the reading for the mixer organized by Copper Canyon Press. I don't know if you've ever been to one of these literary parties at Canvas, which is just the new name for the renovated Western Bridge spot in Sodo, but they are very good. Totally open and unpretentious. And last time I was there, there was a giant gong I could hit when I got a little tipsy. RICH SMITH

MAY 17-19

READINGS & TALKS

99. Skagit River Poetry Festival Escape urban life for a long weekend and find a haven in poetry at this festival of writers from the Northwest and beyond. You'll get to hear superb voices like former national poet laureate Robert Pinsky, Brooklyn poet laureate Tina Chang, National Book Award finalist Ada Limón, Irish poet Tony Curtis, and Lambda Literary Award winner Ellen Bass, plus rising locals like Quenton Baker, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Portlander Matthew Dickman, Washington State poet laureate Claudia Castro Luna, Seattle civic poet Anastacia Reneé, and others. For logophiles with a love of small waterside towns, this festival is not to be missed.

PERFORMANCE

100. Complexions Contemporary Ballet Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardsen (So You Think You Can Dance) choreograph ballet- and hiphop-melding pieces for this ensemble, which includes former dancers from the prestigious Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. Expect high-energy, high-calibre dance drama and a soundtrack that draws on everything "from Bach to Bowie."

MAY 17-20

FOOD & DRINK

101. Lake Chelan Wine and Jazz Festival Savor the harmonious blend of vino and jazz at this new annual festival that celebrates both, with a full lineup of internationally acclaimed artists and Lake Chelan wineries.

MAY 17-JUNE 10

FILM

102. Seattle International Film Festival 2018 The 44th annual Seattle International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the US, with 400 films (spread over 25 days) watched by around 150,000 people. It's impressively grand and is one of the most exciting and widely attended arts events Seattle has to offer. Highlights this year include the opening film, Isabel Coixet's The Bookshop; Sorry to Bother You, musician Boots Riley's debut film about a young black telemarketer (Lakeith Stanfield) who discovers he has a magical power, and Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot, a Gus Van Sant comedy-drama starring Joaquin Phoenix as a Portland cartoonist badly injured in a car accident.

MAY 18

COMEDY

103. Jeff Ross & Dave Attell: Bumping Mics Two crusty vet comedians, who both have their own fuck-all attitudes and are worthy of respect in their own right, have teamed up to cohead the Bumping Mics tour. Dave Attell achieved his name recognition with a Comedy Central show, Insomniac with Dave Attell, that started with a clip of a set featuring his wry, observational humor followed by some late-night shenanigans and misadventures around whatever town he was performing in. Jeff Ross earned his standing by becoming the roastmaster general of all those Comedy Central Roasts, the ultimate lampooner whose sharp tongue cut hard and deep. (Remember when Trump was in the hot seat? Those were the days.) Seeing these gents in a single evening will be a rare treat. LEILANI POLK

105. A Star Is Born Opening Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper step into the very expensive, oddly durable shoes previously worn by Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, Judy Garland and James Mason, and Janet Gaynor and Frederic March, in this oft-remade chestnut about the relationship between an older man and a younger woman who pass each other meaningfully on the rungs of fame's wobbly ladder. SEAN NELSON

FOOD & DRINK

106. Distilled 2018 At this fundraiser for Town Hall, in which the venue will "boil down the essence" of their organization into one concentrated evening, hobnob with bigwigs like Grist CEO Brady Piñero Walkinshaw and executive Greenpeace USA director Annie Leonard. Distillery Sound Spirits will serve libations alongside hors d’oeuvres while guests enjoy games and conversation.

MUSIC

107. Paul Simon If there were an award given for the Most Paul Simon–like lyrics to ever Paul Simon, Paul Simon would surely win. “Sonny wanders beyond his interior walls, runs his hands through his thinning brown hair,” he sings in “The Obvious Child” from 1990’s The Rhythm of the Saints. Simon, miraculously, has been giving us the most poignant lyrics—and some of the most rhythmically eclectic music—for more than five decades. He has always been a slightly sentimental old man, even when he was young. He is the ultimate cool dad—as wise and thoughtful as he is darkly humorous and caustic. Though Simon began as an acoustic folk musician, since 1972 his solo albums, including this year’s Stranger to Stranger, draw inspiration from music as far-flung as Brazil and South Africa. His career disproves his own lyric “How it’s strange that some roots are like cages.” ANGELA GARBES

108. Poptone Diva Dompe is the daughter of Kevin Haskins, the original drummer for glam goth icons Bauhaus and founding member of the more pop-oriented Love and Rockets, the trio that scored a Top 10 hit in the US with the infectious 1989 single “So Alive.” These days, she’s getting a full taste of the rock star dream, joining her father and his longtime collaborator Daniel Ash in the group Poptone. It’s an unashamedly nostalgic trip for Haskins and Ash, to bask in the legacy of the work they’ve done together in Love and Rockets and their experimental pop trio Tones on Tail, best known for the ’80s dance club mainstay “Go!” The small complication with their plan was that those groups had different bass players: Haskins’ brother David J and Glenn Campling, respectively. Rather than forcing one of those men to play music they had no part in creating and keeping the hype of a big reunion tour to a minimum, they brought in a neutral party to fill the role. ROBERT HAM

MAY 18-19

MUSIC

109. The Glitch Mob, Elohim, Anomalie One of Los Angeles’ biggest electronic groups, the Glitch Mob leverage blockbuster beats and outrageously distorted synth bass riffs to create Burner-friendly jams. They were previously on tour supporting their album, Love Death Immortality, their first since 2010’s Drink the Sea. LDI sounds very expensive and ready to grace Hollywood thriller movie soundtracks. The Glitch Mob are very good at what they do, generating bold, un-nuanced moods with dramatic dropouts and build-ups. But an inescapable sense of hollow bombast pervades the album. Maybe that’s why their shows sell out? DAVE SEGAL

MAY 18-20

COMEDY

110. Mike Epps See Mike Epps from Fifty Shades of Black, Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?, Uncle Buck, and Friday After Next.

FESTIVALS

111. Everfree Northwest This annual My Little Pony extravaganza for young and old fans alike features a live music concert ("Ponystock"), game rooms, a cosplay contest, karaoke, art for sale, a "fancy-pants dance," and more plastic equine merriment.

112. Viking Fest Experience three days of the Norse seafarers and their ways with an artwork competition, a battle of the bands showcase, a carnival, a donut-and-lutefisk-eating contest, a street fair, a parade, and more.

MAY 18-JUNE 17

PERFORMANCE

113. Mac Beth An adaptation of the Shakespeare play that dare not speak its name inside a theater, Erica Schmidt’s reimagining grows out of high-school students discovering the text after school and gradually coming to inhabit the characters, language, and grisly thematic deathscape. Macbeth is all about the toxicity of ambition, a moral framework that is always valuable to revisit. It’s also rare among Shakespeare's plays in that the female lead is actually the best part in the whole show by a mile. It’s intriguing to think of what an all-female cast will make of both the work itself and the act of claiming it. SEAN NELSON

MAY 19

FOOD & DRINK

114. Seattle World Whiskey Day Over a dozen Washington craft distilleries will showcase their brown liquors, including whiskeys, bourbons, and ryes. Plus, listen to music, nosh on food truck fare, and browse items from other vendors. The event will support Havens Community Connections, a nonprofit "dedicated to helping build exit strategies from abusive relationships."

116. Tide Dinner Northwest cuisine queen Renee Erickson, whom you know from her restaurants the Walrus and the Carpenter, the Whale Wins, Bateau, and others, has established many times over that she has a generous spirit and a knack for creating beautiful menus and communal dining experiences around the raw, seasonal flavors of the Pacific Northwest, like her Lamb and Rosé Feast and her Normandy Dinner. At her highly anticipated yearly Tide Dinner, gather on the beach at low tide at the Hama Hama oyster farm for a four-course meal with wine pairings from Erickson and her Bar Melusine team, with "education and anecdotes" provided by Hama Hama. After you've slurped all the oysters and guzzled all the champagne you can handle and the tide starts creeping back in, migrate to the fire pit for some cookies and Calvados. JULIANNE BELL

MUSIC

117. Chris Young, Kane Brown, Morgan Evans Swiftly rising country star Chris Young, recently inducted as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, will provide an evening of new Americana hits with support from Kane Brown and Morgan Evans.

118. Kool & The Gang There's no doubting the large funk/soul ensemble's technical proficiency, but clips of recent live performances show a troubling tendency for cheesy crowd interaction and emphasis on their frothier material (who doesn't grimace after hearing "Celebration" for the millionth time?). But in their 1970s prime, Kool and the Gang cut some of the filthiest and sweetest funk to ever maximize a gluteus. If they fill at least half their set with burners like "Jungle Jazz," "Hollywood Swinging," "Funky Stuff," and "Love the Life You Live," this will be worth the trip to the EQC. DAVE SEGAL

SPORTS & RECREATION

119. Stars on Ice U.S. National Champion Nathan Chen was the first figure skater to land five different quadruple jumps in a single competition program, and he's fixing to grab the Gold in the 2018 Winter Olympics. He'll be the centerpiece of this showcase, joined by other gliding beauties.

120. Wanderlust The "world's only mindfulness triathlon" combines a 5K run/walk, a "DJ-powered" yoga session, and a guided meditation class. After that, participants can engage in mindful activities of their choosing, peruse goods from local artisans at a Kula market, grab a bite at Wanderlust’s True North Cafe, and dance to live DJs.

PERFORMANCE

121. The Bugle Andy Zaltzman and his army of co-hosts (including Wyatt Cenac, Hari Kondabolu, Anuvab Pal, Helen Zaltzman, and occasionally John Oliver) make fun of news stories around the globe, from the most trivial to the most earth-shaking.

MAY 19-20

FESTIVALS

122. U District Street Fair Shop hundreds of local vendors, eat foods from around the world, and catch live music performances at this 49th annual event.

MAY 20

MUSIC

123. Sofi Tukker Sofi Tukker’s debut single “Drinkee” was nominated for a Grammy this year back when they didn’t even have an EP out yet. Since the Grammy nom, the New York duo of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern (hence Sofi Tukker) released the Soft Animals EP, which aptly redefined the dance scene with their deconstructed beats and Brazilian influence. Their live show is full of English and Portuguese, and a giant electronic tree that they use as an instrument. ANNA KAPLAN

READINGS & TALKS

124. Michelle Tea: Against Memoir Michelle Tea will discuss the essays in her new book, Against Memoir: Complaints, Confessions & Criticisms, which blew Eileen Myles' mind with their "algebraic rhythms." She'll be joined in conversation by local poet and essayist Sarah Galvin.

SPORTS & RECREATION

125. Beat the Bridge Walk or run in Nordstrom's 36th annual Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes. Choose between an 8K run, a 3K walk, or a 1K fun run.

MAY 21

MUSIC

126. Fever Ray I want this song from Fever Ray's comeback album Plunge to become ubiquitous—not only because it's a damnably cute and quirky electro-pop confection, but also because of Karin Dreijer's queer, lusty af lyrical slant. The line "I want to run my fingers up your pussy" blasting in retail establishments, clubs, late-night TV shows, out vehicle windows, and wherever else pop airs nowadays would be a wonderful slap upside the head of people who think Trump's doing a good job. "To the Moon and Back" is the most levitational track I've heard from Dreijer in either Fever Ray or the Knife (it was produced by Johannes Berglund, Peder Mannerfelt, and Dreijer), and it makes for a nice tangent from her prevalent decadent despondency. DAVE SEGAL

READINGS & TALKS

127. Aimee Nezhukumatathil Aimee Nezhukumatathil will headline SAL's Poetry Series and share her latest collection, OCEANIC, which is coming out from Copper Canyon Press in 2018. Nezhukumatathil's succulent narrative verses can bring warmth to a chilly Seattle day.

MAY 22

MUSIC

128. Taylor Swift Highly divisive pop star Taylor Swift will take over an entire stadium for a night of her Reputation national tour, promoting her latest album of the same name.

READINGS & TALKS

129. Michael Pollan: The Science of Psychedelics In his new book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, food writer Michael Pollan turns his attention from the sustenance we put into our bodies to survive to the drugs we ingest to get high. Specifically, Pollan looks at LSD and magic mushrooms, which are increasingly being used to treat everything from anxiety to addiction. A masterful storyteller, Pollan will reflect on his own experiences with altered states of consciousness, as well as the science behind these mysterious molecules. This is one event not to miss—whether you are altered or not. KATIE HERZOG

MAY 23

MUSIC

130. The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Daydream Machine When it comes to pastiches of canonical 1960s rock groups, few can nail the details like the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Leaning heavily on the lysergic side of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Donovan, the Byrds, Pink Floyd, the Chocolate Watch Band, and others, BJM leader Anton Newcombe and his trippy acolytes have forged an expansive catalog of reverently traditional psychedelia, droney shoegaze, and loose-limbed country rock. Starting with 2008’s My Bloody Underground, BJM have experienced something of a creative resurgence, with Orange County native Newcombe—now based in Berlin—employing more Eastern tonalities and mantric kraut-rock elements into his songwriting. That this loose cannon not only hasn’t burned out a quarter century after starting BJM, but is actually making some of his most interesting music, is a plot twist many didn’t see coming. DAVE SEGAL

READINGS & TALKS

131. Captain Scott Kelly: The Sky Is Not the Limit As part of the Unique Lives & Experiences series, former astronaut and engineer Captain Scott Kelly will talk about his four space flights. The words "American hero" are thrown around a lot, but Kelly is pretty damn impressive: He spent a total of 520 days in space and commanded the International Space Station.

132. The Moth Mainstage This is the live storytelling competition that many people like because many people (like myself) are horrible gossips who only want to hear people confess their most embarrassing and heartfelt true stories so long as they're on topic. RICH SMITH

MAY 24

FOOD & DRINK

133. The Taste of West Seattle 2018 At this annual event in its 13th year, load up on nosh and drinks from over 50 different restaurants, breweries, wineries, coffee shops, bakeries, chocolatiers, food stores, and more as they compete for the titles of "Best Taste," "Best Pour," "Best Sweet," and "Best Sip." Plus, a photo booth, live music, restaurant gift card giveaways, and more. 100% of proceeds will go to nonprofit West Seattle Helpline, which provides emergency assistance for low-income families in need.

MUSIC

134. David Byrne, Benjamin Clementine Talking Heads frontman, enigmatic rock icon, and disco musical scribe David Byrne will return to Seattle on his American Utopia Tour.

MAY 25

FILM

135. Solo: A Star Wars Story Opening With the massive success of Black Panther, I will not be surprised if the studio execs at Disney have entirely lost interest in the Han Solo and turned their attention to his less hairy sidekick Lando Calrissian. He is black. He is played by the rising star, Donald Glover. Lando must come from a black planet. We can have a film with just black people from this Afro-planet. We will make everyone there speak in an African accent and dress Africanish. The formula has clearly worked with Black Panther; surely it can work again and again and again. Han Solo is just another story about a white guy in space. CHARLES MUDEDE

MUSIC

136. The Wonder Years, Tigers Jaw, Worriers The Wonder Years sound like pop-punk all grown up into layered alt rock, which is no surprise considering they claim New Found Glory, Saves The Day, and the Hold Steady as influences. They'll be joined by Tigers Jaw and Worriers at this tour stop.

MAY 25-26

PERFORMANCE

137. Converge Dance Festival 2018 The fifth annual Converge Dance Festival will stage works by eight choreographers who are just coming into their own or hitting mid-career. As always, the festival will focus on strengthening ties to the local community and providing a showcase for Seattle's performers and dance artists. The featured artists will be Abigail Zimmerman, Angelica Delashmette, Emily Curtiss, Hope Goldman, Jordan Macintosh-Hougham, Jordan Rohrs, Stephanie Golden, and Warren Woo.

MAY 25-27

MUSIC

138. Sasquatch! Music Festival Sasquatch!, the three-day music and party extravaganza that takes place at the Gorge every year, is back for its 17th iteration with a stacked lineup of billboard notables and rising stars across all genres. The current lineup includes Bon Iver, Spoon, Vince Staples, David Byrne, Slowdive, Jlin, and many, many more.

MAY 25-28

FESTIVALS

139. 25th Annual Juan de Fuca Festival Fans of music, comedy, and dance will fill the lovely waterfront town of Port Angeles with melodies and festivities for a whole weekend this spring. Special guests include Con Brio, Curtis Salgado, MarchFourth, Royal Jelly Jive, Naomi Wachira, Pearl Django, and many more.

MAY 26

MUSIC

141. Ladies Night Out Get liquored up and grab all your girls for a night out with smooth R&B talents like Michel'le, Ginuwine, Bell Biv DeVoe, Next, Hi-Five, Troop, and DJ Funkdaddy, and your host for the evening, comedian Nate Jackson.

MAY 26-JUNE 24

ART

142. 2018 University of Washington MFA + MDes Thesis Exhibition Every year, the UW's MFA program deposits a cohort of emerging artists into the local scene. This year's crop includes Nate Clark, who uses woven materials as a stand-in for networks and structures, and Caitlin Wilson, whose large-scale paintings are evocative of Cy Twombly, Mark Tobey, and Emily Gherard. Alex Kang uses technology to explore the heartbreak of losing information in translation, while Katie Schroeder uses it to focus on identity, belonging, and the curation of our surroundings. Other artists include Lacy Bockhoff, David Burr, Ian Cooper, Daniel Hewat, Erin Meyer, and Christian Alborz Oldham. Catch their work before they finish school and can no longer afford to live here. EMILY POTHAST

MAY 27

MUSIC

143. The Rose The Rose are a part of the wave of Brit-pop sweeping South Korea right now, with layered harmonies and pulsing rhythms that make them stand out from other K-Pop groups. This year marks their worldwide Paint It Rose Tour.

THROUGH MAY 27

PERFORMANCE

144. Familiar Wedding drama abounds in Tony-nominated playwright Danai Gurira's Familiar (you also saw her in Black Panther): surprise guests, revealed secrets, and the tension that arises when a young woman wants to observe traditional Zimbabwean customs for her Minnesota wedding. Charles Isherwood of the New York Times writes, "Ms. Gurira weaves issues of cultural identity and displacement, generational frictions, and other meaty matters into dialogue that flows utterly naturally." This production will be led by acclaimed Egyptian American director Taibi Magar, and produced in association with the Guthrie Theater. JOULE ZELMAN

MAY 29

MUSIC

145. Wet, Inc. No World. Wet are legendary for their emotionally motivated, expansive pop music that has been remarked upon by leading music critics at NPR and the New York Times, among others. They'll be joined by Inc. No World.

MAY 30

MUSIC

146. Maroon 5, Julia Michaels Perennial billboard-charters Maroon 5, currently riding the waves of their latest big hit "What Lovers Do," will crest in Tacoma on their Red Pill Blues Tour with support from Julia Michaels.

MAY 30-31

MUSIC

147. Third Day Christian rock group Third Day are calling it quits in style with a nationwide farewell tour (creatively called their "Farewell Tour") to mark their career achievements and so they can play the hits one last time for their many fans.

MAY 31

COMMUNITY

148. Rhinos and Rosé Raise a glass to Seattle's first-ever Assam rhinos. Ethan Stowell Restaurants and Theo Chocolate will keep you sated while you sip many glasses of bubbly pink wine and learn about the critically endangered species.

MAY 31-JUNE 1

MUSIC

149. Yo La Tengo For 30 years, Yo La Tengo have been one of the most reliable purveyors of moving, melodic rock with roots in the Velvet Underground and the Modern Lovers. Yes, that’s familiar territory, but few do it more sagely than Yo La Tengo. Beyond that, though, Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew have shown inquisitiveness about country, electronic music, krautrock, astral jazz (have you heard their incendiary cover of Sun Ra’s “Nuclear War”?), and other styles, adapting them to their charmingly low-key MO. At this late date, a YLT show probably will cover a lot of discographical ground and offer a smattering of lovable and unexpected covers—and it will all surely be delightful. DAVE SEGAL

PERFORMANCE

150. Puddles Pity Party The extremely popular "sad clown with the golden voice" presents his downcast live production featuring a mopey clown, absurdism, and some laughs.